If you gonna be king of the hill you can't make it at the cotton mill)

If you gonna be king of the hill you can't make it at the cotton millGet put on at the Harlan mine be the last one out at quittin' timeYou already workin' when the whistle blew never complain about a job to doWhen they say who can you say I will if you ever gonna be king of the hill(If you gonna be king of the hill you can't make it at the cotton mill)

You need a good woman to share your bed to keep you loved and to keep you fedTo help you to face another day to get you up and on your wayWhere the golden rule don't rule out true you do them before they do to youWatch out for yourself or nobody will if you ever gonna be king of the hill(If you gonna be king of the hill you can't make it at the cotton mill)

Saturday night you go to Harlan town you shoot some pool and you fool aroundYou watch the girls and you drink bootleg get starved to death before you begYou trust in luck till your luck is gone then jump right in and you hang right onThere may be times you would have to kill if you ever gonna be king of the hill(If you gonna be king of the hill you can't make it at the cotton mill)

When the last of the coals out of every veinHad long been gone an the northbound trainWoke up to the top and if you're standing still you can call yourself king of the hillBut if you fall like a lot have done by accident or knife or gunWhen they lay you high on the mountain still you can call yourself king of the hill(If you gonna be king of the hill) you can't make it at the cotton mill